January 6
Events *1066 - Harold Godwinson is crowned King of England. *1205 - Philip of Swabia becomes King of the Romans. *1449 - Byzantine Emperor Constantine XI is crowned at Mistra. *1494 - First Mass celebrated in the New World at La Isabela, Hispaniola. *1540 - King Henry VIII of England marries Anne of Cleves *1579 - The Union of Atrecht was signed. *1649 - The Rump Parliament votes to put Charles I on trial *1661 - The Fifth Monarchists unsuccessfully attempt to seize control of London. *1690 - Joseph, son of Emperor Leopold I, becomes King of the Romans. *1720 - The Committee of Inquiry on the South Sea Bubble publishes its findings. *1781 - In the Battle of Jersey on 6 January the British defeated the last attempt by France to invade Jersey militarily. *1806 - Horatio Nelson laid to rest in Saint Paul's Cathedral in London *1838 - Samuel Morse first successfully tested the electrical telegraph. *1853 - American President-Elect Franklin Pierce and family are involved in a train wreck near Andover. *1870 - The inauguration of the Musikverein (Vienna). *1887 - `Abd-allah II of Harar opens the Battle of Chelenqo with an attack on the camp of the Shewan army of Negus Menelik II. *1893 - Washington National Cathedral is chartered by Congress. The charter is signed by President Benjamin Harrison. * 1900 - Boers attack Ladysmith - over 1,000 people killed *1907 - Maria Montessori opens her first school and daycare center for working class children in Rome. *1912 - New Mexico is admitted as the 47th U.S. state. *1929 - King Alexander of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes suspends his country's constitution (the so-called January 6th Dictatorship, Šestojanuarska diktatura.) * 1929 - Mother Teresa arrives in Calcutta to begin a legacy of work amongst India's poorest and diseased people *1930 - The first diesel-engine automobile trip is completed (Indianapolis, to New York City). *1931 - Thomas Edison submits his last patent application. *1936 - Supreme Court of the United States rules the 1933 Agricultural Adjustment Act unconstitutional in the case United States v. Butler et al.. *1940 - Mass execution of Poles, committed by Germans in the city of Poznań, Warthegau. *1941 - Franklin Delano Roosevelt delivers his Four Freedoms Speech in the State of the Union Address. * 1941 - Keel of USS Missouri is laid at New York Navy Yard in Brooklyn *1942 - Pan American Airlines becomes the first commercial airline to have a flight go around the world. *1950 - The United Kingdom recognizes the People's Republic of China. The Republic of China severs diplomatic relations with Britain in response. *1961 - A fire at the Thomas Hotel in San Francisco kills 20 people. *1967 - United States Marine Corps and ARVN troops launch "Operation Deckhouse Five" in the Mekong River delta. *1974 - In response to the energy crisis, daylight saving time commences nearly four months early in the United States. *1977 - The music publisher EMI ends its contract with the notorious punk rock group Sex Pistols after reports of abusive behaviour at Heathrow Airport, London. *1978 - The Crown of St. Stephen (also known as the Holy Crown of Hungary) is returned to Hungary from the United States, where it was held after the Second World War. *1994 - Nancy Kerrigan is clubbed on the right leg by an assailant under orders from figure skating rival Tonya Harding. *1995 - A chemical fire in an apartment complex in Manila, leads to the discovery of plans for Project Bojinka, a mass-terrorist attack. *2004 - Jaya Bharata Jananiya Tanujate is declared the official anthem of Karnataka * 2004 - Costas Simitis Simitis announces his resignation as president of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement in Greece. *2005 - Mississippi Civil Rights Workers Murders: Edgar Ray Killen is arrested as a suspect for the 1964 murders of three Civil Rights workers. * 2005 - First World Congress of Imams and Rabbis for Peace begins in Brussels. *2006 - Tropical Storm Zeta dissipates, ending the notorious 2005 hurricane season. Births *1367 - Richard II, King of England (d. 1400) *1412 - Joan of Arc, Roman Catholic Saint and national heroine of France (legendary date) (d. 1431) *1486 - Martin Agricola, German composer (d. 1556) *1488 - Helius Eobanus Hessus, German poet (d. 1540) *1525 - Caspar Peucer, German reformer (d. 1602) *1561 - Thomas Fincke, Danish mathematician (d. 1656) *1587 - Gaspar de Guzmán y Pimentel, Count-Duke of Olivares, Spanish statesman (d. 1645) *1595 - Claude Favre de Vaugelas, French man of letters (d. 1650) *1617 - Kristoffer Gabel, Danish statesman (d. 1673) *1655 - Eleonore-Magdalena of Neuburg, Holy Roman Empire Empress (d. 1720) *1706 - Benjamin Franklin, American statesman (d. 1790) *1714 - Percivall Pott, English physician (d. 1788) *1745 - Étienne Montgolfier, French inventor (d. 1799) *1793 - James Madison Porter, American politician (d. 1862) *1795 - Anselme Payen, French chemist (d. 1871) *1807 - Jozef Maximilián Petzval, Slovak inventor (d. 1891) *1808 - Joseph Pitty Couthouy, American naval officer (d. 1864) *1822 - Heinrich Schliemann, German archaeologist (d. 1890) *1832 - Gustave Doré, French painter and sculptor (d. 1883) *1838 - Max Bruch, German composer (d. 1920) *1848 - Hristo Botev, Bulgarian poet (d. 1876) *1850 - Franz Xaver Scharwenka, Polish-German pianist and composer (d. 1924) *1870 - Gustav Bauer, Chancellor of Germany (d. 1944) *1872 - Alexander Scriabin, Russian composer (d. 1915) *1878 - Carl Sandburg, American poet and historian (d. 1967) *1880 - Tom Mix, American actor (d. 1940) *1882 - Aleksandra Ekster, Russian painter (d. 1949) * 1882 - Fan S. Noli, Albanian bishop (d. 1965) * 1882 - Sam Rayburn, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (d. 1961) *1883 - Khalil Gibran, Lebanese writer (d. 1931) *1898 - James Fitzmaurice, Irish aviation pioneer (d. 1965) *1899 - Phyllis Haver, American actress (d. 1960) * 1899 - Heinrich Nordhoff, German automobile engineer (d. 1968) *1902 - Helmut Poppendick, Nazi physician (d. 1994) *1903 - Maurice Abravanel, Greek-born conductor (d. 1993) *1905 - Idris Davies, Welsh poet (d. 1953) *1910 - Wright Morris, American writer (d. 1998) *1913 - Edward Gierek, Polish politician (d. 2001) * 1913 - Loretta Young, American actress (d. 2000) *1914 - Danny Thomas, American actor (d. 1991) *1915 - Alan Watts, English writer (d. 1973) *1916 - Vincent Serventy, Australian writer and conservationist (d. 2007) *1917 - Koo Chen-fu, Chinese negotiator (d. 2005) *1920 - Sun Myung Moon, Korean evangelist * 1920 - John Maynard Smith, English biologist (d. 2004) * 1920 - Doris Stokes, British psychic medium (d. 1987) * 1920 - Early Wynn, American baseball player (d. 1999) *1921 - Cary Middlecoff, American golfer (d. 1998) *1923 - Jacobo Timerman, Argentine writer (d. 1999) *1924 - Earl Scruggs, American musician *1925 - John De Lorean, American auto maker (d. 2005) *1926 - Ralph Branca, American baseball player * 1926 - Pat Flaherty, American racecar driver (2002) * 1926 - Kid Gavilan, Cuban boxer (d. 2003) * 1926 - Mickey Hargitay, Hungarian-born actor and bodybuilder (d. 2006) * 1926 - Kim Dae-jung, President of South Korea and Nobel laureate *1929 - Babrak Karmal, Afghani politician (d. 1996) *1930 - Vic Tayback, American actor (d. 1990) *1931 - Capucine, French actress (d. 1990) * 1931 - E. L. Doctorow, American author * 1931 - Dickie Moore, Canadian ice hockey player * 1932 - Stuart A. Rice, American chemist * 1933 - Oleg Grigoryevich Makarov, Soviet cosmonaut (d. 2003) * 1933 - Emil Steinberger, Swiss comedian *1934 - Tassos Papadopoulos, president of the Republic of Cyprus *1935 - Nino Tempo, American singer and actor * 1935 - Margarita Gomez-Acebo y Cejuela, Tsaritsa of Bulgaria *1936 - Rubén Amaro, Sr., Mexican baseball player * 1936 - Julio María Sanguinetti Coirolo, President of Uruguay *1937 - Paolo Conte, Italian singer * 1937 - Lou Holtz, American football coach * 1937 - Doris Troy, American singer (d. 2004) *1938 - Adriano Celentano, Italian singer and actor * 1938 - Mario Rodríguez Cobos "Silo", Argentine writer and spiritual leader *1940 - Penny Lernoux, American journalist (d. 1989) * 1940 - Van McCoy, American musician (d. 1979) *1943 - Terry Venables, English football manager *1944 - Bonnie Franklin, American actress * 1944 - Rolf M. Zinkernagel, Swiss immunologist, Nobel laureate *1945 - Allen Appel, American novelist *1946 - Syd Barrett, English guitarist, singer and songwriter Pink Floyd (d. 2006) *1947 - Sandy Denny, English vocalist (d. 1978) *1951 - Don Gullett, American baseball player * 1951 - Kim Wilson, American musician (The Fabulous Thunderbirds) *1952 - Frank Sivero, Italian-born American actor * 1952 - Larry Latham (Moondog Spot), American professional wrestler (d. 2003) *1953 - Malcolm Young, Scottish-born Australian guitarist (AC/DC) *1954 - Hans Robert Hiegel, German architect * 1954 - Yuji Horii, Japanese video game designer * 1954 - Anthony Minghella, British film director *1955 - Rowan Atkinson, English comedian and actor * 1955 - Richard Corbett, Labour Member of the European Parliament *1956 - Angus Deayton, English comedian, actor and television presenter *1958 - Themos Anastasiadis, Greek journalist, television presenter and newspaper editor *1957 - Nancy Lopez, American golfer *1959 - Kapil Dev, Indian cricketer * 1959 - Kathy Sledge, American singer *1960 - Paul Azinger, American golfer * 1960 - Kari Jalonen, Finnish ice hockey player * 1960 - Nigella Lawson, English chef and writer * 1960 - Howie Long, American football player *1962 - Michael Houser, American guitarist (Widespread Panic) (d. 2002) *1963 - Jazzie B, English musician (Soul II Soul) *1964 - Charles Haley, American football player * 1964 - Henry Maske, German boxer * 1964 - Mark O'Toole, English bass guitarist (Frankie Goes to Hollywood) * 1964 - Rafael Vidal, Venezuelan athlete (d. 2005) * 1964 - Yuri, Mexican actress and singer *1965 - Muhammed al-Ahari, American Muslim writer * 1965 - Konnan, Cuban-born professional wrestler *1966 - Fernando Carrillo, Venezuelan actor * 1966 - A. R. Rahman, Indian composer * 1966 - Andrew Wood, American singer (Mother Love Bone) (d. 1990) *1968 - John Singleton, American film director *1970 - Julie Chen, American television presenter * 1970 - Gabrielle Reece, American volleyball player *1972 - Nek, Italian singer *1973 - Scott Ferguson, Canadian ice hockey player *1974 - Nicole DeHuff. American actress (d. 2005) *1975 - James Farrior, American football player * 1975 - Yukana, Japanese seiyū * 1975 - Jason King, English radio DJ (Radio 1) *1976 - Danny Pintauro, American actor * 1976 - Richard Zedník, Slovak ice hockey player * 1976 - Johnny Yong Bosch, American actor *1978 - Nikki Einfeld, Canadian opera singer * 1978 - Casey Fossum, American baseball player *1980 - Steed Malbranque, French footballer * 1980 - Hiromi Oshima, Japanese adult model *1981 - Mike Jones, American rapper * 1981 - Jérémie Renier, Belgian actor * 1981 - Rinko Kikuchi, Japanese actress *1982 - Gilbert Arenas, American basketball player * 1982 - Tiffany Pollard, American reality television personality *1984 - Sean O'Brien, Australian Professional Windsurfer (AUS120.com) *1986 - Paul McShane, Irish footballer * 1986 - Alex Turner, English musician (Arctic Monkeys) *1989 - Andy Carroll, English footballer Deaths * 664 - Amr ibn al-A'as, Arab general (bc. 583) *1088 - Berengar of Tours, French theologian (bc. 999) *1448 - Christopher of Bavaria, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (b. 1418) *1537 - Alessandro de' Medici, Duke of Florence (b. 1510) * 1537 - Baldassare Peruzzi, Italian architect and painter (b. 1481) *1616 - Philip Henslowe, English theatrical entrepreneur (bc. 1550) *1689 - Seth Ward, English mathematician and astronomer (b. 1671) *1711 - Philipp van Almonde, Dutch admiral (b. 1646) *1718 - Giovanni Vincenzo Gravina, Italian writer and jurist (b. 1664) * 1718 - Richard Hoare, English goldsmith and banker (b. 1648) *1725 - Chikamatsu Monzaemon, Japanese dramatist (b. 1653) *1731 - Étienne François Geoffroy, French chemist (b. 1672) *1734 - John Dennis, English critic and dramatist (b. 1657) *1813 - Louis Baraguey d'Hilliers, French general (b. 1764) *1831 - Rodolphe Kreutzer, French violinist, composer and conductor (b. 1766) *1840 - Fanny Burney, English novelist and diarist (b. 1752) *1852 - Louis Braille, French teacher of the blind (b. 1809) *1855 - Giacomo Beltrami, Italian explorer (b. 1779) *1884 - Gregor Johann Mendel, Austrian geneticist (b. 1822) *1885 - Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, Norwegian writer and scientist (b. 1812) *1913 - Frederick Hitch, English Victoria Cross Winner (b. 1856) *1918 - Georg Cantor, German mathematician (b. 1845) *1919 - Max Heindel, Danish astrologer and mystic (b. 1865) * 1919 - Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States (b. 1858) *1922 - Jakob Rosanes, German mathematician (b. 1842) *1928 - Alvin Kraenzlein, American athlete (b. 1876) *1934 - Herbert Chapman , Legendary Manager of Arsenal and Huddersfield Town (b. 1878) *1937 - André Besette, Canadian religious figure (b. 1845) *1941 - Charley O'Leary, American baseball player (b. 1882) *1942 - Henri de Baillet-Latour, Belgian International Olympic Committee president (b. 1876) *1944 - Ida Tarbell, American journalist (b. 1857) *1945 - Vladimir Vernadsky, Russian mineralogist (b. 1863) *1949 - Victor Fleming, American director (b. 1883) *1969 - Daisy and Violet Hilton, British conjoined twins (b. 1908) *1972 - Chen Yi, Chinese military commander and politician (b. 1901) *1978 - Burt Munro, New Zealand motorcycle racer (b. 1899) *1981 - A. J. Cronin, Scottish writer (b. 1896) *1990 - Ian Charleson, Scottish actor (b. 1949) * 1990 - Pavel Alekseyevich Čerenkov, Russian physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1904) *1993 - Rudolf Nureyev, Russian ballet dancer (b. 1938) * 1993 - Dizzy Gillespie, acclaimed jazz trumpet player (b. 1917) *1995 - Joe Slovo, South African politician (b. 1926) *1997 - Catherine Scorsese, Italian-American actress (b. 1912) *1999 - Michel Petrucciani, French jazz pianist (b. 1962) *2000 - Don Martin, American cartoonist (b. 1931) *2004 - Pierre Charles, Prime Minister of Dominica (b. 1954) * 2004 - Charles Dumas, American athlete (b. 1937) * 2004 - Francesco Scavullo, American photographer (b. 1921) *2005 - Lois Hole, Lt. Governor of Alberta (b. 1933) * 2005 - Louis Robichaud, Premier of New Brunswick (b. 1925) *2006 - Lou Rawls, American singer (b. 1933) * 2006 - Hugh Thompson, Jr., decorated Vietnam War helicopter pilot (b. 1943) *2007 - Mario Danelo, American football player (b. 1985) * 2007 - Sneaky Pete Kleinow, American musician and special-effects artist (b. 1934) * 2007 - Roberta Wohlstetter, military historian and strategist (b. 1912) Holidays and observances *Christianity **Epiphany ***(except Eastern and Oriental Orthodox who follow the Julian Calendar) - Twelfth Day of Christmas, also known as Twelfth Day and Three Kings Day **Theophany (Revelation of the Trinity at Christ's baptism in the Jordan) ***Eastern (Byzantine) Catholic Church ***Third greatest Feast of the Eastern Church, following Pascha (Easter) and Pentecost. ***One of the oldest Feasts in Eastern Christianity, traced back to the beginning of the 2nd Century. ***The Western (Roman) Catholic Church adopted this Feast in the 3rd Century, calling it Epiphany. *Public holiday in Spain, Italy and Puerto Rico to mark Epiphany *In the Irish Calendar - Little Christmas (Nollaig na mBan, "Women's Christmas") *Rastafari movement - Celebration of the ceremonial birthday of Haile Selassie *Armenian Christmas (except in the Holy Land where it is on 18 January - old calendar) *Ancient Latvia - Zvaigznes Diena observed * January 6 External links * BBC: On This Day * * On This Day in Canada ---- January 06